The present disclosure is directed toward a mounting bracket for a vehicle grab handle and, more specifically, to a mounting bracket having a weakened area and/or at least one reinforcing flange.
Many vehicles include one or more grab handle assemblies provided inside the passenger cabin. In one configuration, grab handle assemblies are provided along opposite roof side rail areas adjacent the exterior doors of the vehicle to assist the driver and/or any passengers when entering or exiting the vehicle. Each grab handle assembly can include a mounting bracket and a handle pivotally mounted to the bracket. The handle provides those entering and exiting the vehicle a convenient structure to hold onto.
Ideally, the mounting bracket provides enough strength for handling a forceful tug and/or pull by a passenger grabbing the handle and pulling downward on it; however, the bracket should be configured such that the grab handle assembly crushes appropriately when impacted during a collision. In particular, the bracket should be configured so that the handle does not feel weak when grabbed, but the bracket should not be too strong or rigid such that it results in a high Head Impact Criterion (HIC) number during a Free Motion Headform (FMH) test (i.e., a test prescribed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for simulating a person's head impacting an interior vehicle area or component). Often, these are competing considerations in the design of grab handle mounting brackets.